Content creators also need motherboards that can get the job done. In our Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard Review, we will look into one of the AERO Series motherboards from Gigabyte.
The B650 AERO G is an ideal product for content creators since it offers upgraded features for their needs. If you are a creator, it will let you deliver outstanding computing performance, connectivity, ultra-fast storage, expandable graphics, etc. It will also handle heavy design workloads like feature-length video production and 3D rendering.
However, is it as good as Gigabyte claims, or is it better to look elsewhere? We tested the product for our Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard Review to see how it performs. Aside from its performance, we will also discuss its functions, design, and specifications.
Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard Packaging
The motherboard comes in a white cardboard box with hints of silver and black for added aesthetics. These colours are also in-line with the brand identity of the AERO G Series.
In this Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard Review, we listed the accessories you will find inside the package:
- The B650 AERO G Motherboard
- Noise detection cable
- WiFi antenna
- SATA III cables x2
- Quick start guide
- Spare M.2 screw and standoff
- DisplayPort cable (for VisionLINK)
- VisionLINK guide
Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard Review – Design and Functionality
The layout and construction of the motherboard align with its price tier. It displays a solid build with ample cooling for the VRMs and other critical components.
The B650 AERO G sports a black PCB with subtle grey accents and silver heatsinks. It also has an integrated I/O shield design yet lacks built-in RGB LED effects.
One notable feature of the board is its plastic inserts with a pearlescent finish. Interestingly, it shifts between light blue and pink hues depending on the viewing angle, providing an added aesthetic touch.
Furthermore, Gigabyte has included heatsinks for all three M.2 drive slots, including a rectangular heatsink. It is a passive heatsink for the B650 chipset and cools the two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots.
We will also discuss its memory in our Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard Review. On support, the motherboard has four DDR5 slots that can handle up to 128GB RAM. It also supports DDR5 6666 standard when overclocked and has a dual-channel memory architecture.
You will find an AMD EXPO (Extended Profiles for Overclocking) on the motherboard. These are integrated overclocking profiles ideal for DDR5 memory. Simply put, AMD EXPO is similar to what XMP is for Intel.
Four SATA 6 GB/s connectors and three M.2 slots are available on the motherboard for storage. The M.2 slots can accommodate M.2-type drives of up to Type 25110 in size. In addition, it allows you to install larger PCIe 5.0 M.2 devices.
Two M.2 slots, the upper and middle ones, are connected to the CPU. The third slot at the bottom connects to the chipset.
We suggest installing your primary drive on the uppermost slot for optimal performance. By doing this, you can take advantage of the PCIe 5.0 x4.
All three slots sport thermal pads, but the upper slot features M.2 Thermal Guard III. It is a large heatsink that provides efficient cooling for fast SSDs.
The other two slots are under a simple metal plate, which is still better than having an exposed drive.
On PCIe device expansion, this motherboard has three slots. The slot at the top is metal reinforced, which is nice, especially with the increasing number of graphics cards today. It is also the slot fed from the CPU and features 16 lanes.
The two remaining slots are regular PCIe x16, which share bandwidths with the lower M.2 slot. Since this is the case, you can only use one or the other.
On the final slot, it is a PCIe x1 slot that runs PCIe 3.0.
There are enough front panel USB headers on the B650 AERO G. It includes a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) Type-C front panel header close to the RAM slots. In addition, a USB 3.2 Gen1 front panel header enables connectivity for up to two USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports.
This front panel header is oriented at a right angle for proper cable management.
Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard Rear I/O
Here, you will find two connectors for a 2.5 GbE LAN powered by an Intel LAN chip. It also has a pre-installed AMD WiFi 6E in the M.2 Key-E slot and seven USB 3.2 ports.
Moreover, there are two USB 2.0 ports, a SPDIF-out, an HDMI port, and a mic in/line out.
VisionLINK Ports
Interestingly, the motherboard has two ports related to VisionLINK. These are the USB-C 10GB and a Display Port In. Note that the latter cannot work as a motherboard video output. Plus, it is also for use with pen displays.
The purpose of the Display Port In is to enable sharing your graphics card’s performance with an external pen display. And with VisionLINK, Gigabyte aims at creators, allowing them to level up their game in their 3D works.
Noteworthy Elements for the Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard
We appreciate Gigabyte for providing plenty of elements for the board to optimise its design and functions. Here are the following:
Onboard Power Button and Q-Flash Plus Button
The onboard power button is an essential element that can work efficiently for open-case setups. Then the Q-Flash Plus Button allows you to flash the BIOS of this motherboard.
You do not need to install RAM, CPU, or graphics card. We consider it a much-needed aspect since AMD aims to support numerous Ryzen processor generations on the AM5 platform.
Temperature Sensor Headers
These elements let you link thermistor cables to monitor the thermals of other components in your PC. However, remember that these are not in the B650 AERO G packaging. It means you need to purchase them separately.
Status LEDs and a Thunderbolt Add-on Card Header
The presence of status LEDs on the B650 AERO G can help troubleshoot POST or Power On Self-Test issues. Also, the availability of a Thunderbolt Add-on card header lets you connect a Thunderbolt add-on card to the motherboard. But again, the card header is sold separately by Gigabyte.
Noise Management and a Serial Port Header
This motherboard lets you monitor abnormal noises in your PC by linking the noise detection cable. Then, you connect it to the onboard noise detection header to enable the function.
Lastly, the serial port header is a surprising element on the motherboard. However, it can still be effective for anyone with legacy PC hardware.
Key Features of the Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard
What makes this motherboard ideal for content creators? Does it have all the necessary elements to boost productivity and user experience?
Let us discuss the primary features to find out.
Simplified Connections
The exclusive VisionLINK port from Gigabyte allows transferring data, video, and power charging with one USB-C cable.
DisplayPort Alternate Mode with USB Power Delivery
VisionLINK offers DisplayPort Alternate Mode, data transfer capabilities and SB Power Delivery.
DisplayPort Alternate Mode is a USB-C feature allowing standard USB-C ports to carry non-USB data and USB signals. On the other hand, SB Power Delivery handles higher power to provide 60W for fast-charging devices via USB.
Graphics Performance for Your Pen Display
The DisplayPort_In and VisionLINK connections unleash the maximum graphics card performance for your pen display.
Superior Connectivity of the Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard
Motherboards from the AERO series offer ultimate connectivity and easy access to these. In our Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard Review, we will discuss which features provide fast network connectivity.
The B650 AERO G uses Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet, which transfers data faster than ever. Plus, it allows smooth video editing and a quick boost to your overall network performance.
Additionally, the B650 AERO G uses WiFi 6E, which can administer AR/VR experiences. It allows you to download massive files faster without lag to get creative with reduced dropped connections.
WiFi 6E is the extension of WiFi 6 that uses a dedicated 6GHz band to provide a new frequency for transferring data. It also offers a spacious spectrum for additional devices in the future. Moreover, it delivers faster connections and stronger signals than WiFi 5.
Aside from fast networks, the B650 AERO G features USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 for flexible connectivity and quick access. Plus, it allows massive data transfers for your convenience.
DDR5 – Faster and Instant Reaction Speed
Whether you work with 4K video, edit many audio samples, or multitask, DDR5 provides satisfying, unparalleled speeds. DDR5 offers at least 1.5x more bandwidth than DDR4. Plus, it facilitates the bandwidth for applications like content creation and AI training.
Thanks to its better performance, DDR5 allows faster file compression by 36%, offering a better experience when sharing your art.
PCIe x4 M.2 for Optimal Storage Performance
PCIe x4 M.2 slots offer NVMe SSD RAID and up to Type25110 support to boost storage performance.
Enjoy the Fastest Performance with PCIe 5.0
The B650 AERO G features PCIe 4.0 x16 and the PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket. These optimise huge workloads and multitasking. Aside from that, they make the motherboard ready for a new PCIe 5.0 graphics card or storage device.
Optimal Cooling with Aesthetics
Gigabyte uses an advanced cooling solution for the B650 AERO G to maintain optimal temperatures for your PC components. Plus, it has the best aesthetic heatsink design.
This outstanding cooling solution prevents your system from crashing during the creative process. Later in our Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard Review, we will discuss its cooling performance during our product tests.
Smart Fan 6
The Smart Fan 6 from Gigabyte features simple management to guarantee cool temperatures and quiet performance under various workloads. This technology uses multiple temperature sensors, hybrid fan headers, noise detection, and a FAN STOP function.
M.2 Thermal Guard III
The M.2 Thermal Guard III offers a more optimised thermal solution for the PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSD. It keeps temperatures low even under heavy workloads and high transfer to prevent thermal throttling.
Specifications
- Chipset: AMD B650
- Process Support: AMD Ryzen 7000 Series AM5 processors (Zen 4)
- Memory: 4x DDR5 slots, maximum 128GB and up to DDR5 6666+ OC Support
- LAN: Intel I225 V 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
- Audio: Realtek ALC1220-VB audio codec
- WiFi: MediaTek MT-7922A22-M (AMD RZ616 chipset) WiFi 6E module with built-in Bluetooth 5.2
- Form Factor: ATX
- Audio: Realtek ALC1220-VB CODEC
Expansion Slots
- PCIe 4.0 x16
- A PCIe 3.0 x1
- One PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4 mode)
Storage
- Four SATA III
- One PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2
- Two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 (Note that M.2 slots support NVMe drives only)
Hands-on with the Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard
Before discussing our hands-on experience with the B650 AERO G, we will focus on the BIOS. Learning more about the BIOS gives you an idea of what settings you can adjust when you use this motherboard for your PC.
The motherboard has a 256MB American Megatrends Inc. (AMI) UEFI BIOS ROM that received an update to version F5b. Its release date was on February 21, 2023, before testing. So, all our tests used this updated BIOS.
Users familiar with the earlier generation Gigabyte products will notice similarities in the UEFI BIOS. Although changes based on the production generation are present, the interface is still user-friendly. It is also easy to navigate, so users will comfortably find what they need.
Easy and Advanced Mode
This Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard Review will look into the different modes of the motherboard BIOS. The Easy Mode is the first section you will use when entering BIOS. It provides brief details on the product yet does not offer adjustment options.
To do these, you will need to access Advanced Mode. Reach it by clicking on it or by tapping the F2 button on your keyboard.
Other tools in Easy Mode are Smart Fan 6 and Q-Flash. The former adjusts fan speeds according to temperature profiles, while the latter upgrades BIOS.
Although this motherboard does not aim to achieve peak CPU performance, it has many options for overclocking. You can find these in the Advanced Mode settings.
Precision Boost Overdrive
Like when using other motherboards, you can enable PBO or Precision Boost Overdrive in two areas. These include the Advanced Mode page and the Advanced CPU Settings.
PBO in Advanced Mode is more straightforward. For example, it lets you use the pre-set overdrive levels based on a specific CPU temperature.
If you are an experienced user who wants more granular settings, go to Advanced CPU Settings. This menu features more specific controls and allows you to adjust the voltage limits and other PBO settings.
The BIOS has a simple interface, making it user-friendly for all. You can navigate the menus smoothly since everything is in the right section, and all settings are easily adjustable.
Aside from that, we have had no problems doing a BIOS upgrade since the process went smoothly. From the older version, it updated to the most recent BIOS.
Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard Performance
Gigabyte B650 AERO G Motherboard Review Summary
The B650 AERO G is another highly capable motherboard from Gigabyte. Like many other motherboards from the company, it has outstanding features and delivers impressive performance, which surprised us.
Although the B650 AERO G is a creator-focused motherboard, it has the capabilities that enthusiast gamers and PC builders need. It supports DDR5 and uses RAM tuning and profiles to maximise DDR5 performance. Additionally, it can operate high-speed memory kits and supports high-end processors.
When we tested the B650 AERO G, we did not experience issues with its performance. Plus, it delivered consistent stability under different workloads.
Gigabyte used the B650 chipset on this motherboard to allow support for PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD. As a result, it is unique compared to other B650 motherboards that only support PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD.
This motherboard belongs to its unique tier. And since it is not high-end, but is better than other motherboards based on the B650 chipset. Plus, it has a more solid SSD heatsink that prevents high-speed SSDs from throttling.
This motherboard is superior with features like 2.5GbE LA, WiFi 6E, VisionLINK port, and a new cooling solution. With these features, you can transfer massive data and videos seamlessly and charge devices faster.
Overall we highly recommend the B650 AERO G to creators, gamers, and PC builders who want a capable motherboard.
Visit the official product page of Gigabyte to learn more about the B650 AERO G Motherboard.
